The present invention relates generally to welding systems and, more particularly, to a gas system for providing shielding gas to a weld.
Welder power sources have become increasingly portable in recent years. This portability is largely the result of lighter unit weight and improved electrical components. One advancement in the area of electrical components has been the incorporation of inverter-type power sources. The application of an inverter power source has reduced the size and weight of welders and created usable space within the confines of the housing, while maintaining the ability to generate the outputs required for welding.
Improvements in wire feeder technology have also improved the ease of use and portability of a welder. Wire welding is generally believed to be easier to learn than conventional stick welding and as such, relatively inexperienced artisans can produce adequate results in relatively little time. As a result, due to the ease of use and versatility of application, many users prefer wire welding over conventional stick welding.
Space in any work environment is always at a premium. Whether the welder is used in the hobbyist's garage or the machine shop of an industrial plant, the size of the unit is always a design consideration. The space used by a welder is not limited to the dimensions of the power source itself but includes the ancillaries related to welding processes such as cables, consumables, and gas cylinders. The space required for the storage and maintenance of these items is another consideration associated with many welders.
Shielding gas containers, commonly referred to as gas cylinders, provide gas to the welding process. This gas essentially encapsulates the welding process in order to protect the integrity of the weld from contaminants and also enhances arc performance during a welding process. The shielding gas is generally provided in very large and very heavy cylinders. The cylinders are constructed ruggedly to withstand the high pressure of the gas contained therein and the rigors of the workplace. A regulator and valve assembly are typically attached to the gas cylinder and allow the operator of the welding power source to control the amount of gas supplied to the welding process.
The size and weight of the gas cylinders significantly detracts from the portability of the welder. Additionally, attempts to move the welder and gas cylinder together presents an opportunity for inadvertent damage to the gas cylinder or to the regulator attached thereto unless a cart is provided. Such carts however are large and typically constructed to accommodate bulky gas cylinders. As such, the portability of the welding apparatus is limited by the portability of the shielding gas cylinder.
Additionally, although welders have become increasingly transportable, there are instances when even greater portability and/or versatility of welding-type devices is desired. One such device is a wire feeder that is remotely positionable with respect to a welding-type power source. Though the components of the wire feeder are remotely positionable relative to the power source configured to generate the power signal suitable for welding-type applications, the portability of the wire feeder is limited by the connectivity of the wire feeder to a shielding gas source. Often the wire feeder is connected directly to a gas source or is connected to a shielding gas source through the power source. Either configuration limits the range of portability of the wire feeder by the length of gas hose extending between the gas source and the wire feeder.
Understandably, while the gas source is “moveable”, the source of shielding gas is provided in a gas cylinder that has substantial size and mass. As such, movement of the gas cylinder is often limited by an operator's physical ability of move the cylinder or the surrounding environment where the gas cylinder is to be moved. That is, in certain work environments it may be impractical or impossible to maneuver the equipment necessary to move the gas cylinder to a desired location remote from the welding-device power source.
It would therefore be desirable to design a welding-type device having a shielding gas system that is lightweight and highly portable remote from a welding-type power source.